"I'd like to thank [Victory manager] Kevin [Muscat], my teammates and all the staff at the club for everything they have done for me," Traore said, per Football Federation Australia's official website. "The opportunity to play in Europe is too good for me to pass up."

Traore is a 24-year-old Ivorian left-back with an Australian passport who lit the A-League up with his dazzling runs.

He is a high-character footballer, who works hard and would flourish in an end-to-end league such as the Eredivisie.

19. Will Keane

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Manchester United prospect Will Keane is thinking about an ambitious transfer to the Serie A with Fiorentina and Juventus tracking his progress, per Simon Jones at the Daily Mail.

Instead of moving to a big Serie A club, Keane should consider a modest Italian team that is willing to give him an extended run in the first team.

17. David Marshall and 16. Steven Caulker

However, since Sherwood's managerial reign is under threat, per Gerry Cox at the Telegraph, Spurs may not end up signing Marshall or Caulker.

Caulker is excellent when it comes to blocking shots and Marshall made a plethora of world-class saves during the season.

With Cardiff relegated to the Championship, the Bluebirds face a struggle to keep their best players.

15. Gary Medel

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Besiktas will take advantage of Cardiff City's relegation to the Championship by poaching Gary Medel, per talkSPORT.

Cardiff want to bounce back immediately by getting promoted back into the Premier League next season, so the Bluebirds need players who are 100 percent committed.

If Medel wants to play at a higher level, then Cardiff need to sell him to the highest bidder, rather than keep an unhappy player.

14. Andros Townsend

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Tottenham Hotspur right attacking midfielder Andros Townsend is a Newcastle United summer transfer target, per Mark Douglas at the Journal.

With Hatem Ben Arfa losing his starting position at Newcastle, Moussa Sissoko has been playing on the right.

Townsend is Ben Arfa-like in terms of inconsistency, so moving to Newcastle is not a great idea.

13. Ravel Morrison

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West Ham United's Queens Park Rangers loanee Ravel Morrison has ended speculation of a summer transfer move away from West Ham after tweeting "be back next season" upon receiving West Ham's goal-of-the-season award.

Morrison's tweet is consistent with him saying his relationship with West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is salvageable, per Sky Sports.

So if Allardyce stays on as West Ham manager, Morrison will be back in the squad.

Talent is not the issue here.

It is his attitude which has cost him a James Wilson-esque debut for Manchester United and forced a detour to QPR.

12. Lars Bender

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Bayer Leverkusen central midfielder Lars Bender has reiterated his loyalty to the club after mounting speculation of a potential summer transfer window move to Arsenal.

"I signed my new contract until 2019 and that should have told everyone how happy I am at Leverkusen," Bender said, per Massimo Marioni at the Metro. "If I am to be completely honest, I haven't had a brilliant season and don't feel ready yet to take on a pivotal role at a big club somewhere else."

Bender is selling himself short since he has made 105 tackles and is a vital member of Leverkusen's midfield.

Clearly, he is setting a high bar for himself and it will stand him in good stead moving forward.

11. Cristian Tello

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Liverpool are planning to sign Barcelona super-sub Cristian Tello in the summer transfer window, per the Metro.

Tello offers blazing speed, but his decision-making at times leaves a lot to be desired.

Speed is redundant if you cannot consistently cash in either scoring or creating a goal, a la Victor Moses.

10. Adel Taarabt

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AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani revealed the club will wait until "May 31 to decide whether to" extend the contract of Queens Park Rangers loanee Adel Taarabt, per Football Italia.

Taarabt has shown flashes of world-class skill at Milan, like his goal against Napoli, so QPR would be within their right to inflate Taarabt's transfer stock.

Should that happen, it could sink Taarabt's proposed permanent transfer to Milan.

9. Fabricio Coloccini

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Newcastle United centre-back Fabricio Coloccini's desire to move back home to Argentina has dissipated and he will commit another season to the club.

"You have to decide between the problems and work. Sometimes it's too difficult," Coloccini said, per Miles Starforth at the Shields Gazette. "Now it's finished and next season I will be here."

Coloccini is a low-risk defender having only committed six fouls the entire season.

8. John Obi Mikel

Mikel has played more games off the bench (13) than as a starter in the Premier League this season.

To see him go from a playmaker with world-class upside to a dull, lifeless and limited holding midfielder at Chelsea is disappointing.

Sure, he shows glimpses of magic from time to time for the Nigerian national team, but you can make a case that he has not improved as a footballer since starring at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship.

There are a plethora of alternative options if Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wants another "kind of player ready to sacrifice himself 100 percent for the team," per Miguel Delaney at ESPN FC.

6. Shinji Kagawa

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Shinji Kagawa's agent Thomas Kroth has shot down rumours of his client's proposed move to Napoli.

"Has [Napoli manager Rafa] Benitez made contact with Kagawa? These are just rumours," Kroth said, per UltimeCalcioNapoli.it (h/t Edwin Chong at Sky Sports). "He [Kagawa] is not unhappy at Manchester United, so there's no reason to talk about him departing to another club."

The most incredulous statement from Kroth is his client being content.

Kagawa is happy being a nonentity for United and seeing his career decline? Really?

3. Ashley Cole

Cole's emotional breakdown after being saluted by Chelsea supporters suggests he will be moving on in the summer.

Unless he takes a substantial salary cut, it would be a surprise for Liverpool to sign Cole.

Well, what about Kolo Toure?

He is a natural leader, a team-first player, who will support his teammates even if it means less playing time for him.

Whereas, Cole has only ever cared about his own situation.

2. Thomas Muller

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Gero Breloer/Associated Press

Bayern Munich right winger Thomas Muller has quashed rumours of an imminent move away in the upcoming summer transfer window.

"I didn't make these rumours up myself, so I don't particularly want to comment on them too much," Muller said, per Kronen Zeitung (h/t Kit Holden at the Daily Mail). "But I'm definitely not about to jump ship at Bayern."

Muller has recorded another elite season scoring 13 times and registering 10 assists in 30 Bundesliga games.

1. Sergio Aguero

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Barcelona deep-lying forward Lionel Messi is demanding the club sign his compatriot Sergio Aguero from Manchester City, per TV3 (h/t Rik Sharma at the Daily Mail).

Why would Barca risk signing Aguero?

He is turning into Alexandre Pato.

Aguero cannot sustain his explosive style of play.

He will either start playing within himself which could lead to a dip in attacking productivity, or he will continue to get injured.

Just an observation: There have been so many negative stories about Messi being high maintenance in the past year or so.

There are two takeaways.

The media are reporting the truth.

It is false and the media are running with this new narrative which is atypical: Build up an athlete into a "can do no wrong" figure and then tear that person down.

The notion of Messi walking into the Barca board room and saying: "Sign Aguero!" is not that far-fetched.